Community Corner
Scenes from Rock the House 2 at the Baird
Bands took the stage on Friday in the second show of a concert series seeking to promote local musical talent.
Bands eager to promote the local music scene performed at the Baird on Friday night for an audience of more than 100.
Rock the House 2 featured four groups and was put together because of the success of the first Rock the House in January, according to organizer Alex Silberman, who's also lead guitarist for the band Test Pattern.
“We got a lot of community participation in the first one and so much good press,” he said. “We’re just looking for the same thing tonight, and it should be easy because we have momentum built.”
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Funk jazz act The David Easton Band was the first band on the bill, and singer and keyboard player David Easton described his music as something that a daughter and her mother could listen to together. This seemed to prove true, as teenagers and adults in the audience cheered throughout their set.
Silberman’s band, Test Pattern, was next to perform their brand of “power punk pop," as Silberman described it. Their set was fast and smooth with Silberman playing demanding, riveting solos in each song.
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Hard rock band New Day Dawn was the third act of the evening. Lead singer and guitarist Dawn Botti has been in many bands, one of which was featured on a season of MTV’s "Real World," before starting this group. Their first full-length CD, "The Company We Keep," released last year, was on sale at the merchandise table.
The final act of the evening was eclectic blues rock cover band Walk the Dog. They're the best-known of the four groups locally, since they've played at several Maplewoodstocks, Battle of the Basement Bands and fundraisers. However, bassist Billy Fishkin thinks there's something special about playing at Rock the House 2.
“This creates an opportunity for more people to play in a different setting,” he said. “The music community here is vast and diverse, and the bands here are at a level deserving of this type of crowd.”
Silberman mentioned that although it was a relatively light turnout, a lot of musicians approached him to ask if they could participate in the next show. Rock the House 3 is scheduled to take place in May at a venue yet to be determined.
DVD prizes were given out in between sets as part of a raffle. Each audience member was given a raffle ticket with the $5 price of admission and had a chance to receive more tickets if they purchased a T-shirt, CD or frisbee.
Musicians from the bands at the first Rock the House lent their support in other ways at the show. 3rd Gear guitarist and singer Mark Loughney was the emcee, and MoodRing guitarist and lead singer David Gomberg was the sound technician.
